News

Brussels, 13 September 2023 – CENTR, the association of European national top-level domain name registries (ccTLDs), publishes a set of recommendations to amend the EU insolvency proposal, noting the high burden it places on ccTLDs in requests regarding domain name holders’ data.

In a nutshell: The European Commission has published its strategy on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds, complemented by an own-initiative Draft Report from the European Parliament’s IMCO Committee. Trilogues on the agricultural geographical indication proposal continue after the summer break. The Commission published Key Performance Indicators under its Live Piracy Recommendation. A Proposal on Financial Data Access implicates domains. The European Commission adopted an adequacy decision on the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, which the EDPB confirmed in a note. The ENISA mandate and EU cybersecurity certification framework are up for evaluation. The path toward trilogues on the Cyber Resilience Act is cleared by the European Parliament’s ITRE Committee and the Council of the European Union. The Spanish Presidency issued a compromise text on the Proposal to combat child sexual abuse online. For some very large actors, the Digital Services Act has started taking effect. The European Parliament and Council have approved a trilogue compromise on the Energy Efficiency Directive.

The 117th IETF meeting took place in San Francisco between 22 and 28 July 2023 with more than 160 working group sessions, a 2-day hackathon, a wide range of side events. Marco Davids  from SIDN Labs attended the meeting and has written a summary of the main points of relevance for CENTR members.

In a nutshell: The GI proposal for agricultural products is expected to be finalised during the Spanish Presidency. JURI approved new competences for EUIPO to manage the registration of crafts/industrial GIs. The Council of the EU adopted the e-Evidence Regulation, as well as establishing a High-Level Expert Group on access to data for effective law enforcement. The European Parliament and the Council of the EU have reached a provisional political agreement on the European Digital Identity Framework. The European Commission launched four projects to test the European Digital Identity Wallet, published a proposal to review the GDPR, and plans to publish a Recommendation on integrated child protection systems in the EU. ENISA issued recommendations on Digital Identity Standards. IMCO adopted its opinion on the Cyber Resilience Act and approved its draft opinion on the Proposal to combat child sexual abuse online. LIBE published a draft report on the proposal to extend the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crime.

In a world driven by digital presence, it is surprising to discover that many cherished regional products, protected as Geographic Indications (GIs), are noticeably absent from the online realm. Our recent research uncovers an intriguing reality: GIs, designed to safeguard the origin and quality of unique goods, have yet to establish a strong foothold as registered domain names in Europe. In this blogpost, we delve into the findings that shed light on this disconnect and explore the implications for both GIs and the digital landscape.

At CENTR, when we talk about the future of the internet ecosystem, our mantras are education and dialogue. As a forum, EuroDIG facilitates this, while also serving as a reunion for familiar faces in European internet governance. Preaching to the choir helps sharpen talking points.

During the ICANN77 meeting in Washington DC, the discussions on DNS abuse moved past some important hurdles. Building on the momentum created at ICANN76, both the gNSO and the ccNSO made substantial progress on the subject.

Discover the latest developments on access to domain name registration data in our first blogpost covering the ICANN77 meeting. Dive into the ongoing discussions surrounding WHOIS and the challenges of balancing privacy and security. Learn about the Registration Data Request Service (RDRS), a pilot project set to launch in November, aiming to address concerns and assess the need for a standardised access and disclosure system.

In a nutshell: The incoming Spanish Council Presidency has published its work programme for the second half of 2023. The EU institutions are close to finalising the legislation on the GI protection for crafts/industrial products, while trilogues have begun for the proposal for the GI protection for agricultural products. The Commission has opened a call for tender for a study on IP rights enforcement and counterfeiting. The European Parliament’s ITRE Committee has published over 500 amendments to the Cyber Resilience Act. ENISA has published its report on DNS identity and the verification of domain name holders. The Council has shared its conclusions on the EU Policy on Cyber Defence. The European Parliament has approved the e-Evidence Regulation in Plenary. The EDPS has issued Opinions on the Commission Recommendation to open negotiations on International Agreements on the exchange of personal data with five South American states. The CJEU has clarified when a GDPR infringement may give rise to a right to compensation. The Swedish Council Presidency has shared a compromise text on proposed legislation to combat child sexual abuse online. The European Parliament voted on its compromise text and negotiating mandate to enter into interinstitutional trilogues on the AI Act.

CENTR will perform a platform upgrade on its server on Tuesday 20 June 2023 at 14:00 CEST.